Miami University Campus Ministries may have one more reason to smile.
The Campus Ministry Center has received a grant of $8,100 that will be split with Sinclair Community College, Clark State Community College and Central State University.
The grant; presented by the Synod of the Covenant, a governing body of the Presbyterian Church; will be used to fund their new program, titled "A Season of Nonviolence: Practicing the Vocation of Peace Building through Interfaith Dialogue."
According to Reverend Harry Bolen, a representative of the Miami Campus Ministry Center, the grant will be used to train students on all four campuses to participate in diverse conversations of understanding and support among various religions.
According to the Synod of the Covenant Web site, the grant was just a portion of $75,000 that was given to 10 different ministries as part the New Covenant Grant Program, a program funded by money from shared congregational missions.
The site also said the grant is designed to encourage new or revitalized ministries.
Bolen explained that Miami Campus Ministries, Sinclair Community College, Clark State Community College and Central State University are part of the Miami Presbytery that meets two to three times per year. The Miami Presbytery applied for the grant after learning of the opportunity through the Synod of the Covenant network.
Bolen said that each school would receive $1,000 to pay for staffing, programming, travel and costs of a joint retreat to be held at United Theological Seminary in Dayton Feb. 27. The featured speaker at the meeting is to be Amy Greenbaum of Miami's Hillel program.
"We will start with the Golden Rule, because every religion embraces some form of it," Bolen said.
From there, Bolen said that organizers hope not to focus on dogma, but instead to concentrate on the similarities between the religions.
According to the Synod Web site, the goal of the conference is to provide students with skills and opportunities that will strengthen their own traditions of faith tradition and give them the tools to interact with people of different faiths.
"Workshops will be offered on the practice of nonviolence, on building a culture of peace and interfaith dialogue," said Janet Chapman, a member of the Synod of the Covenant administration. "The workshops will be related specifically to campus settings."
Bolen said that following the training in Dayton, a similar program would take place on campus at the Campus Ministry Center in order to train even more students and staff.
"Anyone from any background is welcome," Bolen said. "We are not trying to homogenize, but to celebrate diversity."
Bolen hopes the effects will be long lasting, saying that organizers are planning to host an event at Miami in fall 2008 to continue to train and bring together various religions in conversation. The plan for the grant also includes a reflection retreat.
According to Chapman, a facilitator will assist the four campus teams in remembering and evaluating their experience with the project as well as in planning ways to continue the experience on their respective campuses.
According to Bolen, The Campus Ministry Center and Lights on Campus are working together to plan much of the event. Organizers are also attempting to involve many other campus religious organizations as well as any students of any religion who may be interested.
Bolen said that Miami plans to take 20 students to Dayton free of charge for travel, housing or food. Students who are interested should contact Rev. Harry Bolen in the Campus Ministry Center.
